Detachable handle for liquid container

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for providing a detachable handle for a container, such as a liquid container. In one embodiment, the apparatus comprises a lower ring for slidably engaging a circular body of the container. An arm is pivotally connected to the ring via a hinge such that a C-shaped engagement member on the free end of the arm may engage a necked portion of the container via a snap-fit arrangement. A handhold is formed in the arm for allowing a user to easily pour or transport the container with only one hand. The apparatus is detachable from the container and is reusable on other containers.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable.

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable.

BACKGROUND

1. The Field of the Invention

The present disclosure relates generally to liquid containers, and moreparticularly, but not necessarily entirely, to a removable handle for aliquid container.

2. Description of Related Art

Liquid containers come in various forms. One popular form of a liquidcontainer is a plastic two-liter container. Two-liter containers are acommonly used for soft drinks, including carbonated soft drinks. Thesetwo-liter containers are produced from polyethylene terephthalate, alsoknown as PET plastic, using a blow molding process. A two-litercontainer includes a cylindrical body and a necked portion. The top ofthe necked portion terminates with a male-threaded spout. A resealablescrew-top mates with the male-threaded spout and allows the contents tobe used at various times while retaining carbonation. Most modern-daytwo-liter containers are one piece with a base that is molded with aradial corrugation to provide strength for the bottom and the ability tostand upright. Further, most of the early two-liters had a separateopaque base glued to the hemispherical bottom of the clear polyethyleneflask. This base had a coaxial corrugation and drain holes.

One disadvantage to the use of two-liter liquid containers is that theyare difficult to grasp due to the relatively large diameter of theircylindrical bodies. In particular, it is difficult to firmly grasp atwo-liter is container especially when the container is full. Thisgripping problem is further aggravated in the case of women and childrenwho tend to have smaller hands than men. Often times, individuals withsmaller hands must utilize a two-handed technique, i.e., both of theirhands, to pour a drink into a cup from a two-liter liquid container.This two-handed technique is undesirable since it increases theprobability of spillage due to the cup tipping over since a hand is notavailable to steady the cup during pouring. Further, it is costprohibitive to incorporate a handle into the design of two-liter liquidcontainers due to the relatively high cost for molding the same into aone time use container. Thus, there exists a need for an efficient andlow-cost apparatus for attaching a removable and reusable handle tocontainers, such as liquid containers and other similarly shapedcontainers.

The features and advantages of the disclosure will be set forth in thedescription which follows, and in part will be apparent from thedescription, or may be learned by the practice of the disclosure withoutundue experimentation. The features and advantages of the disclosure maybe realized and obtained by means of the instruments and combinationsparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent froma consideration of the subsequent detailed description presented inconnection with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of a device according to one embodiment ofthe present invention; and

FIG. 2 is a side view of the device illustrated in FIG. 1 installed ontoa liquid container.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

For the purposes of promoting an understanding of the principles inaccordance with the disclosure, reference will now be made to theembodiment illustrated in the drawings and specific language will beused to describe the same. It will nevertheless be understood that nolimitation of the scope of the disclosure is thereby intended. Anyalterations and further modifications of the inventive featuresillustrated herein, and any additional applications of the principles ofthe disclosure as illustrated herein, which would normally occur to oneskilled in the relevant art and having possession of this disclosure,are to be considered within the scope of the disclosure claimed.

It must be noted that, as used in this specification and the appendedclaims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” include plural referentsunless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

In describing and claiming the present disclosure, the followingterminology will be used in accordance with the definitions set outbelow. As used herein, the terms “comprising,” “including,” “having,”“containing,” “characterized by,” and grammatical equivalents thereofare inclusive or open-ended terms that do not exclude additional,unrecited elements or method steps.

Applicant has discovered a novel device that provides a installablehandle for liquid containers. In one embodiment, the device installsonto a liquid container utilizing an annular engagement member forsecurement to the body the liquid container and two opposingcantilevered arms that engage the neck of the liquid container using asnap-fit technique. The device includes a handhold for receiving a handof a user. The handhold allows the user to easily lift, transport, andpour from the liquid container. The device is easily removable from theliquid container such that it can be reused in conjunction with otherliquid containers.

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is depicted a device 10 according to anexemplary embodiment of the present invention. The device 10 includes alower engagement member in the form of an annular ring 12. The annularring 12 includes an inner surface 14. The inner surface 14 of the ring12 defines a circular area 16. The diameter of the circular area 16 isjust larger than the diameter of a liquid container (not shown inFIG. 1) for which the device 10 is designed. In this regards, it will beappreciated that the dimensions of the device 10 may be varied toaccommodate liquid containers of various sizes. Typically, the device 10is adapted to be used with a common two-liter liquid container, but maybe used with liquid containers of different sizes and shapes. The ring12 may be constructed from a rigid material such as plastic. However,the ring 12 may also be constructed from a non-rigid material, such as astrap or other similar device.

Extending upwardly from the ring 12 is a riser 18. The riser includesboth a lower end 20 and an upper end 22. The riser 18 is attached to thering 12 at its lower end 20. The upper end 22 of the riser 18 includestwo spaced-apart projections, 22A and 22B, that form part of a hinge.The space between the projections 22A and 22B form a slot. A bore 24extends laterally through each of the projections 22A and 22B. The bore24 is configured to receive a pin (not explicitly shown). The pin alsoforms part of the hinge in conjunction with projections 22A and 22B aswill be explained hereinafter.

An arm 26 includes a lower portion 28. Extending downwardly from thelower portion 28 of the arm 26 is a projection 30. The projection 30 issized to fit into the slot formed between the projections 22A and 22B.The projection 30 also includes a lateral bore (not explicitly shown)that is capable of aligning with the bore through the projections 22Aand 22B. The pin, discussed above but not explicitly shown, secures theprojection 30 into the space formed between the projections 22A and 22Bwhen inserted through the bore 24 and the bore of the projection 30.

It will be understood that the structures of the projections 22A, 22B,30 and the pin are operable to form a hinge. The hinge allows the arm 26to pivot between an engaged position and an unengaged position withrespect to a liquid container as shown by the double arrows (indicatedby the reference numeral 32) and in FIG. 2.

The arm 26 may be of unitary construction. Formed in the arm 26 duringmanufacture is a handhold 34. The handhold 34 is configured and adaptedto receive a hand. The handhold 34 is formed in the arm 26 from a firstlateral extension 36 and a second lateral extension 38. Extendingbetween the first and second lateral extensions 36 and 38 is anelongated member 40. The elongated member 40 serves as the actualhandhold 34. The purpose of the first and second lateral extension 36and 38 is to offset the elongated member 40 from the liquid containerwhen the device 10 is installed. This offset provides room for thefingers of a hand to pass underneath the elongated member 40.

Disposed on the upper end of the arm 26 is a C-shaped member 42. TheC-shaped member 42 includes two cantilevered arms 44 and 46. The arms 44and 46 are arcuate in nature as best observed in FIG. 1. Tips 48 and 50of the arms 44 and 46 are slightly spaced apart. The arms 44 and 46 areconstructed from a flexible and resilient material, such as plastic, toallow the tips 48 and 50 to spread apart without damaging the arms 44and 46.

An inner surface 52 of the C-shaped member 42 defines a spatial area 54adapted to engage a necked portion of a liquid container. The spacing ofthe tips 48 and 50 from each other is just slightly narrower than thewidth of the necked portion of the liquid container for which the device10 is designed. This allows the C-shaped member 42 to engage the neckedportion of a liquid container using a snap-fit mechanism. That is, asthe tips 48 and 50 are forced apart, the arms 44 and 46 may flexoutwardly to thereby permit the necked portion of a liquid container toenter into the spatial area 54.

Referring now to FIG. 2, there is depicted the device 10 installed on aliquid container 60. The liquid container 60 includes a body portion 62and a necked portion 64. The first step to install the device 10 is toslidably engage the ring 12 over the body portion 62 of the liquidcontainer 60. This may be accomplished by inserting the necked portion64 through the ring 12. The arm 26 should be maintained in approximatelythe position shown by the phantom arm 26A in FIG. 2 so as to notinterfere with the installation process. Once the ring 12 has been slidover the necked portion 64 and down the body portion 62 of the liquidcontainer 60 to the correct height, the arm 26 is then rotated forwardas shown by the arrow indicated with the reference numeral 66.

Referring now to both FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, as the C-shaped member 42engages the necked portion 64 of the liquid container 60, the user mayneed to apply a force to thereby cause the tips 48 and 50 to flexoutward as the tips 48 and 50 are pressed against the necked portion 64of the liquid container 60. Once the tips 48 and 50 of the C-shapedmember 42 have flexed sufficiently outward, the necked portion 64 of theliquid container 42 will slip into the spatial area 54 between the twoarms 44 and 46. The tips 48 and 50, once passed the necked portion 64,will be restored to their original position due to the resilient natureof the arms 44 and 46. The inner surface 52 of the C-shaped member 42may engage the necked portion 64 of the liquid container 60. The innersurface 52 of the C-shaped member 42 may be held tightly against thenecked portion 64 of the liquid container 60 due to the resilient natureof the arms 44 and 46.

To disengage the C-shaped member 42 from the necked portion 64, the arm26 is rotated away from the body portion 62 of the liquid container 60.This may require a strong pull in order to separate the arms 44 and 46such that the necked portion 64 is released from the C-shaped member 42.It will be appreciated that the functions described above are commonlyreferred to as a snap-fit. That is, the C-shaped member 42 engages thenecked portion 64 of the liquid container 60 via a snap-fit. Once theC-shaped member 42 has been disengaged from the necked portion 64 of theliquid container 60, the ring 12 may be disengaged from the body portion62 of the liquid container 60 by sliding it off of the body portion 62.The device 10 may be reused on other liquid containers.

When installed onto the liquid container 60, the device 10 provides aconvenient handle for pouring and transporting the liquid container 60.Advantageously, the device 10 permits a user to pour a drink using onlyone hand. This allows the other hand of the user to hold a cup intowhich the liquid inside of the liquid container 60 is poured. When notin use, the hinged portion of the device 10 permits the device 10 to becollapsed or flattened such that the device 10 may easily fit intoconfined storage spaces, such as a drawer or cupboard.

In accordance with the features and combinations described above, auseful method of installing a handle onto a liquid container includesthe steps of:

(a) sliding a ringed portion of the handle onto a body of the liquidcontainer; and

(b) engaging a necked portion of the liquid container with a C-shapedmember of the handle with a snap-fit.

Those having ordinary skill in the relevant art will appreciate theadvantages provided by the features of the present disclosure. Forexample, it is a feature of the present disclosure to provide adetachable handle to a liquid container.

In the foregoing Detailed Description, various features of the presentdisclosure are grouped together in a single embodiment for the purposeof streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to beinterpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed disclosurerequires more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather,as the following claims reflect, inventive aspects lie in less than allfeatures of a single foregoing disclosed embodiment. Thus, the followingclaims are hereby incorporated into this Detailed Description by thisreference, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodimentof the present disclosure.

It is to be understood that the above-described arrangements are onlyillustrative of the application of the principles of the presentdisclosure. Numerous modifications and alternative arrangements may bedevised by those skilled in the art without departing from the spiritand scope of the present disclosure and the appended claims are intendedto cover such modifications and arrangements. Thus, while the presentdisclosure has been shown in the drawings and described above withparticularity and detail, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skillin the art that numerous modifications, including, but not limited to,variations in size, materials, shape, form, function and manner ofoperation, assembly and use may be made without departing from theprinciples and concepts set forth herein.

1. An apparatus for providing a handle for a liquid container, theliquid container having a cylindrical body and a necked portion, saidapparatus comprising: a first engagement member configured and adaptedfor engaging the cylindrical body of the liquid container; an armextending upwardly from the first engagement member, said arm having afree end and a handhold formed therein; a second engagement memberdisposed on the free end of the arm, said second engagement memberconfigured and adapted for engaging the necked portion of the liquidcontainer; a hinge member, said hinge member operable to allow the armto travel between a first position and a second position; and whereinsaid second engagement member is unengaged from the necked portion ofthe liquid container when the arm is in the first position and isengaged to the necked portion of the liquid container when the arm is inthe second position.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said firstengagement member comprises a ring.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinsaid second engagement member is operable to engage the necked portionof the liquid container via a snap-fit.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the second engagement member comprises a pair of cantileveredarms extending from the free end of the arm.
 5. The apparatus of claim4, wherein each of the cantilevered arms is deformable such that thecantilevered arms engage the necked portion of the liquid containerutilizing a snap-fit.
 6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the firstengagement member slidably engages the cylindrical body of the liquidcontainer.
 7. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said hinge membercomprises a pin.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein said firstengagement member comprises a rigid material.
 9. The apparatus of claim1, wherein said first engagement member and the arm comprise plastic.10. An apparatus for providing a arm for a liquid container, the liquidcontainer having a cylindrical body and a necked portion, said apparatuscomprising: a means for engaging the cylindrical body of the liquidcontainer; a means for engaging the necked portion of the liquidcontainer; a means for receiving a human hand; and a means operable toallow the arm to move between a first position and a second position.